The American Heart Association has awarded a University of Kentucky and Baylor University research partnership $3.7 million to study aortic disease.

UK and Baylor were one of four teams nationwide to receive the honor, which coincides with the establishment of the American Heart Association's Vascular Research Disease Network.

Abstracts and mentor nominations are now being accepted for the 13th Annual Spring Conference of the University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Abstracts are due Monday, March 5, and mentor nominations are due Monday, Feb. 26.

The conference will be held Friday, April 13, 2018, at the Lexington Convention Center. The theme is “Opioids: Addressing the Public Health Crisis through Translational Science.” More details are available here.

Abstracts

The opening of a new ophthalmology clinic at the student-run University of Kentucky College of Medicine Salvation Army Clinic was "a culmination of people saying we can do this," said Dr. Julia Stevens, associate professor of ophthalmology and pediatrics, and liaison to the students working to bring the clinic to life.

More than 7,000 University of Kentucky employees, retirees and spouses have purchased a Fitbit through UK's recent promotion. It is just one way the university is helping the community improve their well-being. The promotion continues through Jan. 31.

"Walking more is an attainable goal," said Allison Walters, a UK employee for almost 20 years. "The Fitbit is a true benefit to my health because it keeps me in tune with how I'm doing."

Registration is now open for the third annual International Society of Neurogastronomy symposium, which will be held at the University of Kentucky on March 2-3, 2018.

 Both day's events offer continuing education credit.

This year's symposium will explore the connection between brain and behavior in the context of food.

Alzheimer's disease wreaks emotional havoc on patients who are robbed of their memories, their dignity and their lives. It’s financially devastating as well: care for Alzheimer's patients is predicted to top $1 trillion by the time children born today are having children of their own.

The combination of a new clinical trial and a tissue bank is innovating stroke care and research at the University of Kentucky. Led by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and scientists, the studies aim to develop new treatments using existing therapies that protect brain tissue after a stroke, and to learn more about the physiology of the event.

Seth S. Himelhoch, MD, MPH, will be the College of Medicine’s chair of psychiatry beginning Jan. 1, 2018. He will play a vital role in the college’s mission to impact the standards and delivery of care related to mental health and substance use disorders in the commonwealth.

When Alex Helman began her search for a doctoral program that would allow her to further her knowledge of neuroscience and conduct research on Alzheimer’s disease, she was surprised to add the University of Kentucky to her list.

Kentucky is among the states most ravaged by opioid abuse and drug addiction.

But the University of Kentucky — with researchers and clinicians working across a number of colleges and disciplines — is on the front lines of finding solutions.

Leaders from UK Research and UK HealthCare — along with some of the institution’s most prolific researchers — took their stories of hope and challenge to Washington, D.C., recently to make the case with some of the country’s top elected officials about the need to continue federal funding to address drug addiction and abuse.

The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center is one of 16 accredited cancer programs nationwide to receive the 2017 Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC).

Established in 2004, the award was created to "recognize cancer programs that strive for excellence in demonstrating compliance with the Commission on Cancer standards and are committed to high-quality cancer care," according to the organization.

Last summer, a group from the University of Kentucky Brain Restoration center, led by Dr. Craig van Horne, professor of neurosurgery, capped off a series of conferences held at a number of renowned Chinese university hospitals by performing the first-ever deep brain stimulation surgery for a Parkinson’s disease patient being treated at The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in Henan, China.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Connect2Health Task Force (C2HFCC) has announced that the FCC and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have joined forces, signing a memorandum of understanding that will focus on how increasing broadband access and adoption in rural areas can improve the lives of rural cancer patients.

The University of Kentucky Global Ophthalmology (UK GO) program, a new program with a mission to prevent avoidable blindness by fighting eye disease across the Commonwealth and beyond, has partnered with the UK Global Health Initiatives, directed by Dr. Sam Matheny, professor of Family and Community Medicine, for a unique opportunity of a screening of the documentary, “Bending the Arc.” 

University of Kentucky students can register now to participate in the fourth annual Global Health Case Competition, an innovative graduate and undergraduate interdisciplinary team competition that develops strategies to address a critical global health challenge.

Registration closes midnight Friday, Dec. 15. The UK competition will be held Feb. 3. Register at http://international.uky.edu/GHI/Solve/Case.

Does reducing the use of cocaine, but not abstaining from the substance entirely, produce health benefits? There's currently little research available that answers that question.

The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center is one of 22 cancer centers nationwide to receive funding to build and implement tobacco cessation treatment programs via the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (CCCI).

More than 350 researchers, students and guests attended the 20th University of Kentucky Cardiovascular Research Day at the Lexington Convention Center, an annual event that celebrates the innovative research in cardiovascular health.

University of Kentucky's Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program has not only supported faculty and researchers in their work, but also jump-started careers, aided in the publication of research and helped forge partnerships and mentorships across disciplines.

Dr. James Quintessenza, chief of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at UK HealthCare, and Dr. Scottie Day, interim chair of the UK Department of Pediatrics and physician in chief at Kentucky Children’s Hospital, were featured during "UK at the Half," which aired during the UK vs. Utah Valley basketball game broadcast on radio Nov. 10.

The doctors talked about UK's new partnership with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to offer the best pediatric heart care in the area.